New restrooms will be installed later this year in the southwest corner of Baker City’s Geiser-Pollman Park.

The Baker City Council voted 6-0 Tuesday evening, May 13, to hire the CXT company to install the concrete building at an estimated cost of $249,000.

The city had one other bid, from the Romtec company, which carried an estimated price of $376,000 to $434,000.

The city has budgeted $300,000 for the restrooms.

The current restrooms at the northwest corner of the park near Campbell Street will remain available at least until the new restrooms are finished, which could happen either late this summer or in the fall, said Joyce Bornstedt, the city’s public works director.

Bornstedt said the city likely will wait until after major summer events that use the city’s biggest park, such as Miners Jubilee, are over.

The current restrooms, which the city last renovated about 15 years ago, aren’t in an ideal location based on park use, Bornstedt said. The security cameras in the park also don’t have a good view of the restrooms’ entrances, and there have been several cases of vandalism over the past several years, she said.

The new restrooms will be placed at the southwest corner, just north of Madison Street and across the concrete walkway from the playground. That site is more accessible to park visitors, and security cameras have a good view of the area, Bornstedt said.

Danielle Schuh, the city’s assistant public works director, told councilors that city officials surveyed the entire park for potential places to put the restrooms.

They settled on the southwest corner.

Councilor Helen Loennig asked whether that is where public breakfasts are served during Miners Jubilee and other summer events.

Councilor Loran Joseph said the breakfast site is north of where the restrooms will be built.

Schuh told councilors that the CXT bid, in addition to less expensive than the other proposal, is a prefabricated structure that can be installed in one day. The building is similar to the restrooms in Central Park, west of the Powder River between Washington and Valley avenues.

Councilor Doni Bruland, who is also director of the Baker County Parks Department, said she has worked with CXT on county projects. Bruland said the company is “very professional” and that she is confident in its products.

The Romtec restroom would take four to eight weeks to build on site, Schuh said.

Because the CXT restroom the council chose has to be hoisted into place by a crane, Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative will have to take down a section of power line on the north side of Madison Street, leading to a power outage estimated to last eight to 10 hours, Schuh said.

The outage will affect homes and businesses on part of Madison Street between Grove and Resort streets, and Resort Street from Campbell to near Broadway Street, according to the map included in a report to councilors.

Paying for the power line work will add an estimated $20,000 to the project, an amount that’s included in the $249,000 estimate.

Mayor Randy Daugherty asked City Manager Barry Murphy about the potential for OTEC to do other work on its power line on Madison Street at the same time. Daugherty said he noticed a couple power poles on that block are leaning.

“In my opinion (OTEC) needs to step up,” Daugherty said. “It’s a community project.”

Murphy said he will talk with Les Penning, OTEC’s CEO.

In other business Tuesday, councilors approved by a 6-0 vote a resolution to loan $588,000 from the Anthony Silvers Street Tree Trust Fund to the golf course capital projects fund to help pay for the $1.3 million irrigation system installed at the city-owned Quail Ridge Golf Course in October 2024.

The city’s budget for the current fiscal year, which continues through June 30, included a $700,000 loan from the Silvers fund, but fundraising from other sources, including local golfers, reduced the amount needed.

The city’s plan is to repay the Silvers Fund over five years, at an interest rate of the state’s short term fund rate (4.6% now) plus 1%. Based on that rate, the total payments to the Silvers Fund would be $719,000, meaning that fund would gain about $131,000.